Medical sponges, and in particularly neurological sponges, commonly comprise a fibrous web, the fibers of which may be cotton, rayon, polyester or other synthetic or a combination of these. The fibers are bonded one to another by mechanical and/or chemical bonds, either with or without bonding additives. Neurological sponges, generally are of two types, strung and unstrung. In the strung sponges the absorbent web commonly is relatively small, ranging from about 1/4 inch square upwards. Most such sponges are less than about 3 inches in length and about 3 inches wide. The webs commonly are of about 1/32 inch thick. The strung sponges have attached thereto one or two strings, commonly a textile thread having one of its ends anchored to the web and the remainder of the string extending from the web to serve as a locator element. The unstrung sponges most often are larger than the strung sponges, ranging up to 6 inches in length and 3.5 inches in width. These sponges have no depending string attached thereto.
Neurological sponges are employed for absorbing blood and body fluids, but most frequently are saturated with saline or other solution and used to protect tissue or applied to the tip of a suction device for protecting the tissue when suction is applied.
In the course of a surgical procedure, the medical sponges are sterilized and supplied to the operating room table in units of 10 and are carefully counted after use. Because absorbent sponges very closely resemble tissue when the sponge is soaked with blood, it is at times difficult to distinguish the small blood-soaked sponge from the surrounding body tissue. Thus, it is common practice to attach to the sponge a locator string, commonly about 12 inches in length, of a textile material, for example, such string being kept at all times outside the surgical incision so that the presence of the sponge may be readily noted through observing the string. These sponges further are provided with a separate and distinct x-ray opaque element fixed to the sponge in a manner as prevents its dislodgement. In the event the count of the sponges following the surgery indicates that one or more of the sponges is missing and a search of the operating room fails to locate the missing sponge, while the patient is still in the operating room, a portable x-ray unit may be brought in and the surgical site x-rayed in an attempt to determine whether the sponge has been left inside the patient.
One of the major problems in the prior art packaging of medical sponges, particularly neurosurgical sponges, has been the ability to present the sponges individually. The problem of presenting these sponges is compounded by the presence of the long locator strings that are attached to the relatively small pads. Heretofore it has been proposed to mount the small sponges on a card with a string from the sponge passing through a slit, thence along one face of the card to engage one or more slits or slots until substantially the entire length of the string has been "wound" onto the card. These prior art packages have been difficult to grasp in the user's hand while attempting to remove one of the sponges, either the pad portion of the sponge or the string being disposed on the card in a position such that when the user grasps the card, the fingers of the hand contact either the string or the sponge thereby presenting opportunity for compromising the sterility of the sponge. Further, the slits or slots provided in the prior art cards are of a nature and/or location on the card that develops substantial and inordinate friction between the string and the card as the string is withdrawn through the slit. This friction may result in disengagement between the sponge and the string thereby rendering the sponge non-usable. Even though the friction may not be so great as to cause the pad to break away from its string, the force required between the pad and forceps in withdrawing the string from the slits is sufficiently great to dislodge fibers of the pad or even to tear the pad. Still further, the withdrawal of the strings from the slits or slots in the prior art cards is further compounded where the angle of direction change of the string as the string is wound onto the card is substantially acute, thereby increasing the friction between the string and the slit or slot as the string is pulled from the packaging. A further problem with the prior art devices is that the tail ends of the strings of the several sponges in the package are not anchored and tend to become entangled one with another and/or become entangled with other objects employed in the surgery; such as, forceps, retractors, etc.
In my copending application entitled SURGICAL SPONGE, there is disclosed a novel locator string for neurological sponges which application is incorporated herein by reference. My novel locator string comprises a plurality, e.g. 20 or more, monofilaments bundled together and helically wrapped with a yarn. This locator string is particularly sensitive to the friction encountered when withdrawing the string from the slits or slots of the prior art sponge packaging in that such friction can fray my new locator string under certain conditions. Further, my new locator string is slightly greater in cross-sectional area than the prior art textile strings thereby making it more difficult to withdraw from the prior art packaging.
In the prior art it has also been suggested that several, e.g. ten, sponges be arranged in a stack in or on the packaging. This arrangement has resulted in unacceptable entanglement of the strings in the immediate vicinity of the sponge pads so that withdrawal of a single sponge is further complicated.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a package of strung medical sponges in which the several sponges are mounted individually in the packaging for ready withdrawal at the time of their use. It is another object of the present invention to provide a package of medical sponges in which the friction between the string and packaging is minimized. It is another object to provide a package of strung medical sponges which is readily sterilizable with either steam, radiation, or ethylene oxide gas.